Camille Claudel (1988)

Biography of Camille Claudel. Sister of writer Paul Claudel, her enthusiasm impresses already-famous sculptor Auguste Rodin. He hires her as an assistant, but soon Camille begins to sculpt ... See full summary »

Director:

Bruno Nuytten

Writers:

Reine-Marie Paris (based on the book by), Bruno Nuytten (scenario and dialogue),

Stars:

Isabelle Adjani, Gérard Depardieu, Madeleine Robinson

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 9 wins & 8 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Isabelle Adjani	...	Camille Claudel
Gérard Depardieu	...	Auguste Rodin
Madeleine Robinson	...	Louise-Athanaise Claudel
Laurent Grévill	...	Paul Claudel
Philippe Clévenot	...	Eugène Blot
Katrine Boorman	...	Jessie Lipscomb
Maxime Leroux	...	Claude Debussy
Danièle Lebrun	...	Rose Beuret
Jean-Pierre Sentier	...	Limet
Roger Planchon	...	Morhardt
Aurelle Doazan	...	Louise Claudel
Madeleine Marie	...	Victoire
Alain Cuny	...	Louis-Prosper Claudel
Gérard Beaume
Martin Berléand	...	Robert

Storyline

Biography of Camille Claudel. Sister of writer Paul Claudel, her enthusiasm impresses already-famous sculptor Auguste Rodin. He hires her as an assistant, but soon Camille begins to sculpt for herself and for Rodin. She also becomes his mistress. But after a while, she would like to get out of his shadow...

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Plot Keywords:

sculptor | auguste rodin | camille claudel | insanity | reference to victor hugo | 

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | History | Romance

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Certificate:

R

Details

Official Sites:

MGM

Country:

France

Language:

French

Release Date:

21 December 1989 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Paixão de Camille Claudel

Box Office

Gross:

$201,055 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Les Films Christian Fechner, Lilith Films I.A., Gaumont

Technical Specs

Runtime:

175 min 158 min (cut)

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Color (Fujicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

A major scene in the movie depicts the announcement of the death of Victor Hugo. In The Story of Adele H, Isabelle Adjani played Adèle Hugo, Victor Hugo's daughter who, like Camille Claudel, suffered from schizophrenia.

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Quotes

Morhardt: Who do you think you are?
Camille Claudel: Don't you know who I am? Or are you pretending?
Morhardt: What kind of behavior is this? You're crazy!
Camille Claudel: Camille Claudel. I am Camille Claudel! And if you don't know it, I'll show you!

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Connections

Featured in The 62nd Annual Academy Awards (1990)

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Soundtracks

"Impromptu E-flat major, D.899-2"
Composed by Franz Schubert

User Reviews

Darkness and Light

This film is about the tragic failure of a genius. She fails not so much because of her tendency to make fatal mistakes but because of the shape those mistakes took in her mind. This, even as lesser personages prospered (e.g., Camille's brother Paul, the famous Catholic poet and diplomat) because they were not adverse to espousing convenient "beliefs" for the sake of earthly success. Many viewers will feel a strong affinity with Camille, not because they consider themselves geniuses but rather for the interior world she constructed that, without religion, gave the exterior world meaning. I say she was without religion, but in fact sculpture was her religion--at least until her final failure to gain the respect and patronage of capricious buyers. It was then that her religion (her meaningful myth) took the form of a conspiracy delusion. Powerful people, she thought (mostly, the sculptor Rodin, who had been her lover), were out to get her, thwarting her every move.

What we experience here is a thoughtful, scary exploration of the darkness that is a paradoxical part of all brilliance.